New Beginnings
by Random Death
Summary: Eight years after their final year at Hogwarts, Hermione is back as a teacher! Bear with me. Unusual love triangle, RLHGSS
1. Eyes and hands

Hermione smiled up at the castle. _Home, _she thought. _Home at last. _ Hermione had been traveling almost constantly since that day, eight years ago, when she had fought in the Final Stand against Voldemort. Many had been lost in that battle. Draco Malfoy had fallen at his father's hand. Ron went down defending Ginny. Minerva McGonagall had lost her life in Lord Voldemort's final attack. It had been designed to kill everyone on the field, but she had forced it to focus on her. It killed her, and blew a twenty foot crater where she had been standing. But Harry had triumphed in the end, killing Voldemort a second after he cast the attack. Neville Longbottom had avenged his parents, and Hermione was given Order of Merlin, first class. But she had lost the only men she had ever really loved. Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasely. She knew that she could only have one of them, but it was a hard choice. Draco had made her feel alive, beautiful, and exciting. She was never bored with him, and the sarcastic humor they both shared kept things interesting. But Ron never kept her waiting. She never had to worry about where he was, why he hadn't returned yet, or any of the other things she worried about with Draco. Ron was comfortable, and comforting. She could have lived happily with him, but there wasn't the spark that she had with Draco. But she had lost them both, in one tragic twist of fate. She hadn't yet recovered from her pain, eight years later, so she had kept moving, never staying in one place long enough to get close to anyone. Sure, it was lonely. But it was safe. She visited Harry frequently; they were still close friends. Harry had married Ginny. They had twins, a girl and a boy, who were three. The girl had a darker red hair than was usual for Weasely's and she had her father's eyes. Her name was Lily. The boy was black haired and brown eyed. He already had a cheeky and mischevious grin. Sirius was his name. Ginny had just given birth to the third (and Ginny insisted last) of the Potter children, a beautiful boy, with flame red hair and startling green eyes. Ron. Hermione had often wondered at their insistence on naming their children after lost loved ones. She could not look at little Ron without her eyes blurring with tears. With a sigh, and a wipe of her eyes, she levitated her bags and headed into the castle. 

Fond memories were everywhere in the castle. She had spent the seven best years of her life in this place. There was where she had walked in on Harry and Ginny kissing. Over there, Harry had walked in on her first kiss with Ron. In the next corridor over, was the one eyed witch that she knew guarded their favorite secret passage to Hogsmeade. There was the place that Draco had first kissed her, halfway through seventh year. She gave a tiny sniffle. 

"HERMIONE!" An annoyed sounding voice rang out behind her. She spun around guiltily, wondering what she had done. Not five minutes here and already in trouble. Remus Lupin was storming up the hallway. 

"Remus!" She said in a very startled way. "What are you doing here?" 

"I teach here!" He said, sounding very, very P.O.ed. "Eight years, 'Mione! I haven't heard from you in eight years! You better have an explanation!" He barked. Hermione was relieved. She hadn't done anything wrong. Well, she had, but not in the manner she had been thinking. 

"I've been traveling." She said, knowing it was inadequate. He glared down at her. Thanks to Wolfsbane potion and the lack of work for the Order, Lupin was looking sufficiently less shabby and tired. He even looked younger, if possible. His sandy brown hair was cut in a shaggy style that suited his face. His eyes were a nice blue, without the customary bags she had seen when he was a teacher and when he was immersed in grief over the losses. He looked, in all, fit, healthy, and handsome. 

"You know very well it doesn't take long to just pop over to my place, or owl me!" He said. They had become rather good friends in her last years at Hogwarts, and she felt a little guilty about not visiting him. But she hadn't wanted to see him. She hadn't wanted to see anyone. Quite suddenly, she was in Remus's arms. He was tall, 6'3, and her 5'5" frame only came up to his chin. She hadn't been held like this since Ron and Draco died. 

"I know. Don't cry, sweetie, I know." Remus's low voice murmured in her ear. To her utter horror, she realized that she WAS crying. She pulled back. She met his eyes. They were such a deep blue, with silver flecks. Pain and something she couldn't identify shone from them. She was lost in their depth. 

"Really Lupin, her first day isn't even beginning and you already are molesting the new transfiguration teacher." A sarcastic voice rang out. Remus dropped his hands, which were on her shoulders, and they both turned to face the speaker. None other then Severus Snape stood at the foot of the stairs. He was looking rather different then Hermione remembered him. His previously lank and greasy hair was clean and cut in a manner that was reminiscent of Sirius. He was still deathly pale, but he looked younger, much as Remus did. His dark eyes bored into Hermione, and, to her horror, captivated her. His muscular arms were folded over his chest, and he was leaning casually against the wall. He was dressed differently also. He wore a tightish black shirt and loose, black pants. But he was still sallow-skined and hook nosed. She saluted him cheekily. 

"Granger, I'm surprised at you. I always thought you were intelligent enough to stay away from werewolves. But no, I remember now, you were always fond of consorting with dark creatures," He said. Hermione chuckled, to Remus's confusion

"Don't you have some bat cave to return to?" Hermione asked. He glared, then swept off, indeed like an oversized bat. 

"You have to hand it to the slimy git, he knows when to run." She said, hazel eyes twinkling. "Is it just me, or was he less greasy then usual?" Lupin shrugged, looking rather confused at her lightheartedness. "Dumbledore probably ordered him to wash because it was so much work for Filch to clean up his slime trail." She said cheerfully. Remus laughed, and led her to her room. She was lighthearted and casual. Remus always had that effect on her. He left her there, after informing her that dinner was at six. It was currently two. Her confusion surfaced now that Remus was gone. She found herself thinking about his eyes, his strong hands on her shoulders, the feeling of his chest against hers. She shook herself. 

"I need to take a nap." She told herself. For the first time she looked at her room. It was the walls were a rich red with burnished gold borders. The carpet was the color of rose petals and thick. She kicked off her clogs and buried her toes in the soft shag, enjoying the feeling of the carpet engulfing her feet. The bed was four poster, dark blue with silver trim covers and what seemed like hundreds of chenille pillows in matching blue and silver. It had beautiful mahogany posts and silver cloth looping over the blue curtains, which were pulled back. It was king sized. The comforter was feather, as she discovered when she sat on the edge. She changed into her favorite nightgown, a silky little slip that started low on her chest and ended high on her legs. It was green and silver. She always felt sexy and beautiful in it. With a deep sigh, she slid into the magnificent bed. It was the perfect firmness, and she had to think that she had never been more comfortable in her life. She closed her eyes, and promptly was asleep. 

She dreamed of eyes. They were black as night, and she was drawn to them. They reminded her of tunnels, and she longed to know what was on the other end. Pain, loneliness and sorrow poured out of them, touching her soul. She fell into the depth of those eyes. So expressive, and so cold. She would do anything to see those eyes light up. To see them happy. So beautiful... 

She woke with a start. 

"No... I did NOT just dream about Severus Snape's eyes." She said to herself in horror.

*Author's note: WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, that was fun! I was close to drooling over that bed. *looks like a petulant child* I want one! *sniffle* ah well, I'm lucky to have a bed, right? *pats hard-springed twin sized bed with a junk pillow and ratty cotton blanket.* oh goody:)


	2. And so it begins

Author's Note: Ugh, sorry this took so long to update. I have decided that quality over quantity will be my policy for reviews from now on. My good friend, Lady Matsu, started to advertise this story in her AN's, which makes me feel completely pathetic. So I am going to keep going on this and ignore the fact that she has over three hundred and fifty and I have three. :) Thank you, all three of you. Schism, yours is the type of review that every Fan fiction Author dreams of getting. Thank you. I've always been a Hermione/Draco shipper myself, but I like Remus also. So here this is, Enjoy.

Hermione exhaled heavily. Those eyes, the ones in her dream, were most assuredly the eyes of her former Potions teacher. The man who made her life Hell when attending Hogwarts, the man who had tortured her for years in her school days. She massaged her forehead with her palms. _I had too much Fire Whiskey on my way here. _She rationalized to herself, standing and stretching. She shuffled over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stepped into the stream of icy water, shuddering at the temperature. After her shower, while she sat on her bed in her towel brushing her wet hair, she thought about Remus. He had been her friend for so long, and was most definitely her favourite Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. The poor man had lost even more than she had in the wars. He lost James and Peter in the first war and Sirius in the second. Werewolves don't make many close friends, this she knew. They couldn't. And they almost never had lovers or spouses. She sighed. Poor Remus, living alone for so long. She glanced at the clock. _Shit! _ 5:00. The students would be arriving soon. She rushed around, pulling on clothes. She wore black satin robes, the best she had. She only wore black nowadays; it just seemed to fit. She put on her makeup hurriedly, and pulled her damp hair into a bun on the back of her head, before flying out the door, where she ran straight into something. Something hard and dark, something that went "oomph" when it hit the ground, her on top of it. That something happened to be Severus Snape. Hermione turned scarlet. 

"In a hurry, Miss Granger?" Snape growled at her. She turned even redder, before a very amusing thought occurred to her. She was now a teacher, and was Snape's equal.

"In fact I was, Severus." She said, pleased at how strong her voice was. His eyes narrowed a bit at the use of his first name. She climbed to her feet, as did he. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be at the Great Hall." She said, dignified to the utmost as she swept off. Snape watched her with narrowed eyes. He had in fact been sent to fetch her. Insufferable girl. How could she manage to be so elegant and noble after falling to the ground? With a slight growl, he headed after her. 

Hermione was mortified. She had just done what had to be the clumsiest thing of her life, and it had been Snape that she ran into. Hermione buried her red face in her hands, letting the blush cool. When she removed her hands, she was pale and collected as ever, and she entered the Great Hall. It was just as she remembered it, with four long tables, candles floating over them, and the Head Table across the front. She looked longingly at the Gryffindor table. Everything was so different now. For a second, she saw three children sitting there, laughing. A small, black haired boy, and bushy haired girl, and a tall gangly red head. Her mind supplied images of them as they grew through the years, finally turning from innocent eleven-year-olds to seventeen-year-olds that had seen too much. She closed her eyes, and felt one tear drop roll down her cheek. She reached up to brush it away, but another hand did it for her. She saw seventeen year old Draco standing in front of her, a tender look on his handsome face as he caught the tear. She opened her eyes and Draco turned into Remus. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, voice soft as velvet. She forced a smile. 

"Oh, You know, just remembering." Her voice was nostalgic. He turned and looked at the table too, and his soft blue eyes grew sad and wistful. She knew that he was seeing the Marauders, all dead now, save him. 

"Come. Let's sit down." He said faintly, turning to the Head Table. Hermione walked with him. "Remember the good times, Hermione. Draco and Ron wouldn't want you to do this to yourself." He didn't look at her, just kept walking. Hermione knew he was right -she had often said it to herself- but hearing it from Remus, who had lost more than she, was something else completely. She sighed, and joined him at the Head Table. To her surprise, Dumbledore sat on her other side. 

"Hello, Hermione." He said, eyes twinkling at her. 

"Hello Professor." She said out of habit. 

"You aren't a student anymore. Call me Albus." He corrected, winking at her. 

"Sorry, Pro-Albus." She said, blushing slightly. Remus looked at her with the ghost of a smile on his face. She looked so pretty, with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. Her hair had darkened over the years, and with it wet it was a striking near black. Her eyes were bright, sparkling tawny, a deep golden brown. Her skin was pale and her eyes offset by the almost gothic style of her makeup and robes. She was very lovely, and so compassionate and understanding. And off limits. Not only had she shut herself off from the world, but he had also. He had been in love once, and happier than he had ever been in his life. That was before James and Lily had died, and she found out about his lycanthropy. She had left him, as had everyone except the Marauder's, two of whom he had thought dead, and one in Azkaban. He sighed. Now they were all dead. He glanced at Hermione, who was now in full conversation with Dumbledore. She wouldn't want a weary old wolf anyway. 

Suddenly the chatter at the Great Table went still. Students were now filing in. Hermione watched with mild interest. These would be her students. The seventh years were all looking to the Head Table eagerly. They had had a different transfigurations Teacher every year of their attending Hogwarts. They had gotten increasingly dysfunctional, and the position was said to hold an even greater jinx than the one that everyone had said was on the Defence against the Dark Arts position in Hermione's Day. Remus Lupin, however, had broken that Jinx and had held that job for eight consecutive years now. He smiled at old favourite students. Hermione was surveying them, the slightest bits of butterfly's in her stomach. Her face was calm though. They seated themselves, and she found herself examining the Gryffindors in particular. There were five redheads seated there now. Percy and Penelope had twins, a boy and a girl, in second year. Bill and Fleur had a son in second year, their youngest was being sorted today. Fred had married Angelina and had female twins in first year. Charlie's first born was in the sorting today also. Hermione smiled slightly at them, and they smiled at her. Auntie Hermione had always been a bit distant, and she never visited for long, but she was well loved for all the exotic gifts she brought from all corners of the world, and her eager attitude was contagious. The Hall fell silent again as diminutive Professor Flitwick brought in the first years and Filch set up the Sorting Hat. Hermione couldn't help but space out during the sorting hat's song, and through the first of the students being sorted. But as the line got shorter, she heard Flitwick call Charlie's daughter's name. 

"Weasely, Alicia!" She sat on the stool, the hat slipping over her eyes. She had barely been seated for ten seconds before the rip opened in the brim...

"GRYFFINDOR!" It cried. Hermione clapped with everyone as she ran to join her cousins' at the Red and Gold table. 

"Weasely, Alexandra!" Flitwick called. Bill and Fleur's daughter walked up to the stool. She was built like her mother, with gorgeous strawberry hair and Veela charms and looks. She was naturally refined, and vastly beautiful. She sat and dropped the hat over her head. It was nearly a minute before the Sorting Hat made it's decision, getting everyone's attention. It was very infrequent that it took this long for the sorting hat to decide. Finally, the rip opened, and "SLYTHERIN!" There was stunned silence for a second. Everyone knew the Weasely's, and they were famous for all being in Gryffindor. Hermione was the first to applaud, and Lupin joined her. Soon everyone was clapping but her cousins and brother, who were all staring in shock. Slytherin table was greeting Alexandra with catcalls and whistles. She caught Hermione's eye and nodded elegantly. Hermione nodded back. Lexa had always been her favourite of the Weasley brood. Hermione had always known she would be a Slytherin, she just that type of person. And after Draco, Hermione was inclined to thing that maybe it wasn't a bad thing. 

*Author's note: A very mild Cliffy. Very mild indeed. I thank you for reading this. If you find that it would not be too troublesome, please review. Thank you.

Random Death


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